Kids Accessories by Kidcessory Haven

The Green Mom

2008-06-29T23:00:00.004-04:00

You know...it's rather interesting. All of the talk nowadays on companies going 'Green'. I often wonder what I can do in my life and business that could make a difference in saving the planet.

I was cleaning out my email and ran across one that I had filed away to be read later. Well...it was 'much' later as the email was sent in May! The email was sent by an old friend of mine, who I hadn't heard from in awhile and there wasn't much to it. Just a link and a 'warning' that I needed 20 minutes to do whatever the link wanted me to do. So I checked my desk clock, saw that I had 20 minutes, and clicked on it. It was a video of 'The Story of Stuff' by Annie Leonard.
At first I thought it was going to be another anti-government piece which have seemed to pervade my email inbox lately. However, the more I watched it, the more interested in it I got. One of the main points in the video is if we, as Americans, stopped buying so much stuff, the world would be a better place in that we would use less natural resources, and have much less to dispose of. Now, I know that some of you are thinking that this is a rather funny post coming from someone that in reality sells non-essential items on her website, but it was all of the little points in between that really held me captive. I always am having debates between my family and friends on buying 'cheap' or buying things that we don't 'really' need, but this video really added validity to my rants. I mean...how much stuff do we really need? And how does that relate to us in our business lives? Does it mean merely to buy only American made goods? Does it mean for you to be able to make, or sell things that can be recycled? What does it mean? Please check the video out (it's free) at http://www.storyofstuff.com/ and tell me how you, or how you are considering to, make your business 'Green'.

The Reality of Weight Loss

2008-06-03T22:13:00.008-04:00

I want to talk about an e-book that was sent to me to read by the author, Teresa Bondora, called 'The Reality of Weight Loss'.

First of all, I want to add a 'disclaimer' in that I am in no way associated with this book or the author. I am not getting any proceeds or a 'kickback' from this work or the author. I do not know the author personally but for a few exchanged questions via email.

I think that these days everyone assumes that if you have something positive to say or 'endorse' anything in any way that you or your company are receiving some sort of monetary compensation from it. Our world has become such a cynical place that it seems that no one can do anything without having it 'paid back' in kind.

This is one of the reasons why I think this piece of work is so important for everyone to read.

It is not merely a piece on weight loss. In this day of almost daily 'fad' diets, celebrity workout DVDs, and lifestyle 'gurus', it is hard to find something out there that actually makes sense.

When I received it, I let it sit for a period of days thinking I would read it bit by bit. However when I finally did read it, I read it straight through in one sitting. Which, let me tell you is no small feat with two small children at home.

I was able to immediately identify with the writer. She is a woman who is the same age as me, with the same body height and frame as me. With two small children at the time of putting the work together (like me). This was no 6' tall, anorexic model who had all the money and time in the world to tell me how to eat and exercise, or, worse yet, a MAN telling me how my body works. This was a real person, who had enough 'expertise' in the form of education and research, who can tell you in very easy to follow language how to make a few simple changes in your life to help you achieve a healthier way of living. It is written by a woman for women. However every husband should read it as well, not only for weight loss - because we ALL know that behind every 'large' woman, there is a 'larger' man - but because she provides a wonderful insight for men to be able to relate to why a wife and mother may be acting the way she is.

She not only 'talks the talk', but encourages you to do your own research (which, being a detail oriented Virgo, I did) by providing a host of links and resources. I was really quite shocked at some of the information that she provided and that I found on my own by using those links regarding food additives and the relationship to ADD children and Early Onset Alzheimers not to mention the labeling tactics of the food companies that we have just assumed to trust.

This is a very easy read with only about 100 pages and, frankly, I was looking forward to reading it, as in the past year I have, unfortunately, put back on a lot of unwanted weight, mostly due to starting up my website and spending an inordinate amount of time at the computer. I had become lackadaisical and frumpy. And I hate myself like this! I have to tell you that after page 52, I was so motivated to get off my own sedentary arse that I got up and finished those dirty dinner dishes that were still sitting in my sink and folded that forgotten load of laundry. ALL at 10:30 at night! Then went right back on reading.

Ladies, if you need a 'jump start' back into your life, this is a MUST read. Even if you are currently reading or following a diet plan, do yourself a favor and head over to Teresa's website and purchase this very affordable ($14) e-book. It will not only serve to compliment your current diet, but you will definitely learn something new.

Keeping Children Safe on the Internet

2008-05-17T22:01:00.004-04:00

This was an article I found on the AC website, that is very close to my heart and that every parent should take seriously. So I have re-printed it here for all who wish to read it. -Lisa

Keeping Children Safe on the Internet By Sharon

Keeping our children safe is ultimately the parents responsibility. If we take our kids to the park, It is up to us to make sure they are safe. If we let them sleep over, It is still up to us to ensure it is a safe environment. Anywhere we take our children, we constantly lookout for and ensure their safety. Then why is it different when we enter the online arena. If you were at the park and saw a complete stranger talking to your 13 year old girl, You would be going over there and finding out what they wanted with your little girl. Many people would be incensed to catch a 37 year old man befriending their 12 year old boy. Why then is it an invasion of privacy to look at your Childs internet history, chat logs and text messages? There are many programs that promote safe internet viewing, but the main way to ensure your child's safety in implementing ground rules, first and foremost, is at the start of the child's internet experience. Maintaining control over your child, especially over the internet, is not only safe but I believe is mandatory for good parenting. I know some people will cry control freak or parental smothering, but if it protects the child, they will appreciate it when they are older. The biggest problem is that many children know more about computers than their parents. It is a good investment to get some computer training, or get on the computer yourself. The more you use the computer the more you will feel comfortable with it and the more you know about the computer gives you more knowledge to be able to assess situations as they come up.

Computer Location

The location of a computer is of utmost importance. Having the computer in a high traffic area, ensures that you can easily keep an eye on what is happening. Never let a child have access to the internet from the closed doors of their bedroom. I heard of a boy that was running a site from his bedroom where people would pay to see him naked and masturbating. Imagine the parents horror when they found out, had the computer been in the main thoroughfare of the house, this would never have happened. Allowing unsupervised access of the internet is a bad parenting technique. If you let your child wander through the city, it would be neglect. Letting your child browse the internet unsupervised is no less neglect. Children are very curious, they will look up sites that they have heard from at school, from friends, and they will click on ads that look good.

Black and White Lists

I am a big advocate in using white and black lists. What is a white and black list? Basically a white list is a list of sites that are accessible to the browser, a black list is a list of sites that are blocked from view. You use either the white list or the black list as you are viewing the internet. Using a white list. White lists are the best protection that you can give a child. Only the sites that appear on the white list are accessible to the browser. If disney.com is on the list then I can look at any pages that are under disney.com, including disney.com/anypage_iwant_to_see.html. If cars.com is not on my white list, I am unable to view anything on that website. As you can imagine, it does take time to prepare a white list. Look at the sites you want to allow and copy them into the white list. Then activate the white list with a password. Even though it may take time, it is well worth the effort. It is quite easy if you start when the kids are little and all they want to view is a couple of favourite games sites, then as they grow, the white list grows too. As children become teenagers and want to expand their internet usage, for assignments and even work, you can supervise internet usage and add recently visited sites to the white list. I would strongly advocate using a white list when you are not their to supervise. Sometimes a white list may not be appropriate due to the limitations. Then there is the blacklist option.

Using A Black List

When using a blacklist, If a site comes up that is on the black list, the browser will not allow content to be seen. This means that anything that is not on the blacklist is accessible. If toysareus.com is on the blacklist, then no one can look at it, but if pornography.com is not on the blacklist, then anyone can look at it. Often blacklists are included with software and can be updated as new sites are found to be inappropriate. A white list is much safer than a blacklist, but again the use of such lists are very much an individual decision. Popular internet Protection have black and white lists included, like trend micro internet security protection.

Social networking sites and chat sites

The question of social networking sites and chat sites is easy. Do not allow them at all. If you explain to your child that social networking sites are not safe from the start, they will have an understanding that that is just the rules. Primary children are not really interested in social networking but teenage children live for it. The problem is that they could very well die for it too. There was a case in Melbourne, Australia where two friends encouraged each other to commit suicide in a bizarre suicide pact, that was instigated over an internet social networking site. There are many news stories of children being groomed over chat sites and finally abused when they meet in the real world. Oh.. I can hear the cry of "but you can set it to personal so only your friends can see you". Yes, this is true, but do a search for 'private profile hacks" and you will see how secure your private profile is. IMInstant messaging can be a fun way to keep in contact with friends and family. You really need to use caution and know exactly who your child is talking to. You can have a family Instant Messaging account so that you know who is on the contacts list. I know recently of young girl who met up with someone she did not know through Instant Messaging. She had been messaging him for months, a friend of a friend, and one day decided to go and meet him in person. This type of behaviour is the exact thing that I am trying to help stop. Had this girls parents stopped her from messaging anyone she did not know in person, it would not have happened. Key loggers A great way to keep track of exactly what is going on, on your computer is by way of a key logger. A key logger records any keystrokes used on the computer. For IM it only records one way of the conversation, but you have an idea what is going on. Any mouse clicks are not able to be recorded, so a site clicked on from another site is unable to be determined in this way. There are free key loggers available, a good one is Revealer Keylogger.

History

Often look at your internet history logs. If somebody is deleting them, be very suspicious of why they have been deleted. While talking about browser history, be aware of the browsers installed in your computer. If you only use Internet Explorer and Firefox is installed, who is using Firefox? Check the Firefox history as well. If a browser is not being used, delete it.

Email

In 2003, Family Safe Media stated a statistic of some 2.5 million emails a day are pornographic. Instil in your child to never reply to an email if they don't know who it is from. Not to mention the danger of computer viruses that can be installed on your computer. Regularly check emails and know who they are from. Invasion of privacy? No, not at all, you would want to know who your child is talking to down the street, Online is no different. The unobtrusive method of "spying " on email is setting up their email address and keeping a copy on the server that you can log into and look at. Talk to your email service provider about how to do this. Or better still, just have one family email address that everyone uses. Communication The best way to know what is going on with your child is communicating, face to face, with the child. Find a place to talk to your child from a young age, around the dinner table, with the family and one on one with you and your child, take them out for a regular milkshake, or use saying goodnight as a time to go over the day with your child. Starting this type of communication from early on will help when the children get to be teenagers. If you implement a talk , later on in life, it may take time for the child to open up, so don't give up after the first milkshake.

A Lazy Mom?

2008-05-12T21:50:00.003-04:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day whether you were a mom or just celebrated the holiday with your mom. My family and I spent a relaxing day by the pool and I did not lift a finger to do ANYTHING!! And didn't feel guilty at all!I wonder how many of you are like me...a consumate busy body. As I generally feel quite tired all of the time, it occures to me that it is not a overabundance of energy that keeps me constantly on my feet. Why can't I just relax? Why must I constantly be getting up to do 'stuff'? Is it a guilt thing? Do I feel that I am not being a good mother or wife to my husband unless I am scurrying about, serving someone, or picking up after the kids, or cleaning the house? Do I have to justify being a Stay-At-Home-Mom to everyone by giving the impression that I am always working? Men don't seem to have that problem. They can sit on their arse all morning long, languidly watching you do 'stuff', then announce that they are thirsty. If you dare glance in that direction, you get 'The Look'. You know the one. The one that says...'Well, you ARE up anyway...can you just get me a drink??'. Yep. THAT 'Look'.Now, don't get me wrong. I don't want to get everyone thinking that I am a 'Domestic Slave'. Most of the time when my husband gives me 'The Look', he just gets MY 'Look'. Which basically say's,'If you are thirsty...get off your LAZY arse and get a drink!'. Which may or may not be followed up with a quip such as, 'Do you need me to bring you a map to the refridgerator??'. But sometimes....just sometimes, I let it slide and bring him an iced beverage, which just leads him to believe that he can get away with it again. Maybe I need a continuing education course on 'How to train your man 101'.

Mothers Day Gift Giving

2008-04-13T16:55:00.009-04:00

Here are a few great gift ideas for that special mother in your life on Mother’s Day by Cynthia Marcano for Simply Sinful Baskets with a few added links from my own list of favorites!

12.* A Custom Wipes Case. For the NEW mom!!

11.* A Business Card Case. For that corporate mom or even that work at home mom!

10. Weekend Getaway. A weekend retreat to a ski lodge (or to a warmer clime*) could be great for the mom who needs a weekend to unwind.

9. Digital Camera. For the new mom, this makes a great gift. Children grow up so fast, catching those fleeting moments are important. With scrap booking becoming so popular, digital cameras also make a great gift for the scrapbook lover.

8. Charitable Donation. For the mom who never stops giving, she would be honored to know that a donation was given to her favorite charity in her name. This is truly a gift that keeps on giving.

7. Buy a Tree or Star. Have that special mom immortalized for years to come. Have a star named after her or buy a tree in her name. With God’s love that star and tree will be around even if we are not.

6. Night Out. New mothers would surely appreciate a night out of the house with some adult conversation and atmosphere. It's a simple request, yet such a grand gesture for those moms who just want an evening as an adult. This works well with the morning and afternoon spent with the children. That is what Mother's Day is about in the first place.

5. Spa Day. Most mothers I know could use a spa day. Whether her children are at home or have long since moved out, a spa day is great choice. Spa Days range from a whole package of all the goodies like mud baths and lunch or just a half hour of massage.

4. Jewelry. A great idea would be give her a pendant with picture of her child/ren in it or a bracelet, ring or necklace with the birthstone/s of children or grandchildren.

3. Gift Baskets. You can find Gift baskets that contain any and everything. There are baskets that are specifically designed for Mother's Day, but other choices include gourmet and fruit baskets, spa bsakets and candle baskets. Many places also make custom baskets.

2. Flowers and Plants. This is the most common of Mother's Day gifts. It’s the obvious choice for that bouquet lover or for a very picky person.

1. The Star Treatment. Being a good mother is the hardest job in the world. Offering that special mom the star treatment for a day is a great gift. Start with allowing her to sleep in. As if that weren't gift enough, breakfast in bed and cleaning the house is just what the mom ordered. Lunch and dinner preparation should be included along with bathing, feeding and dressing the children. Basically don't allow her to left a finger. Supply a good book or time for her to do what she wants. What mother wouldn't want a day to recuperate?

*Of Course, what kind of business person would I be if I didn't mention getting a Custom matching mother daughter hair tie?

If you are a mom (or if you have a mom), leave me a comment letting me know what YOUR favorite gift ideas are!!

*additions by me.

Little Known Facts

2008-03-22T22:57:00.004-04:00

Ah...it has been too long since I have been here. The reason I've been gone so long is not a happy one. Unfortunately we had a death in the family. My niece unexpectedly passed away of kidney failure. She was only 28 years old. A beautiful bright girl with a promising future. The family was just devastated. Very sad. However I took a trip to Lebanon, Ohio and got to see where my sister lives. Got to meet some of her friends. Got to see some of her world. Sometimes it is good to 'step out of the box' to gain some perspective of what is important in your life.
Sometimes I wonder if bloggers think to put personal facts in their blogs...or, do they want too? I have often been accused of 'wearing my heart on my sleeve', but, to me...talking about things (sometimes, over and over again) is my little way of 'sorting it all out'. Of course my husband would NOT agree. He is so the 'typical' male. Yes sir! Straight into the 'cave' for him when he gets 'stressed'. A couple of days later and he comes around and lets me know what has been 'eating' at him. You know...it is interesting, this 'blogging business'. You can go on and on and speak to everyone...and no one, in particular. My good friend Safiya says she doesn't believe in putting your personal stuff on the web. But I say...'hey! It is MY blog and if someone doesn't particularly care for a post, well, they can always scroll to the next one. I actually find it quite 'relaxing'...no, that is not the right word...'Invigorating', would be better, to describe typing away about ones life. Anika Logan says in her article titled Free Writing for Relaxation, "It’s called free writing and it is an excellent way to relax yourself and clear your mind. It’s not called “free” writing for nothing. You are taking the time to free yourself from all of your worries and do as you please."
So...I'd be curious to hear from you fellow bloggers out there. Especially those of you who 'Blog for Business'. Do you like to put 'personal stuff' on your blog? Let me hear from you.

Another Little Entry

2008-02-18T20:17:00.004-05:00

A last minute word to go visit Jennifer at her Little Piddles Blog. She is having a nice givaway for a cute 'Mommy Necklace' from her Little Piddles Site.
There seems to be a lot of these types of 'Blog Giveaways' lately. Naturally, if you've read the Blogging for Business article located in 'My Favorite Links' you'll know why. I'm curious though...how many of you bloggers have set up a givaway? Have you gotten any sales from it?
Let me know.

A Little About Me

2008-02-18T13:06:00.003-05:00

This looked like a fun thing to do. My friends over at Brodie Girl are sponsoring a contest to promote a new website by Two Moms In A Blog called Chrysanthemoms ! All you have to do is describe yourself using the letters of their new name. In the process, you get to learn a little more about the person behind Kidcessory Haven ....me! Ok, here we go;
C - Charismatic
H - Happy
R - Risk Taker (sometimes you need to do it to really live).
Y - Yes (wo)man
S - Sometimes very Sappy
A - Addicted to popcorn and 'LOST'.
N - No nonsense
T - Talker (I am one of those who will talk to ANYONE and EVERYONE!)
H - Heavy (that is what my scale says! LOL!)
E - Exacting (I am very detail oriented).
M - Musical
O - Over The Top (what my friends say about me).
M - Miraculous (at least my kids think so!).
S - Spiritual

Why don't you all post a little about yourself here?? Let me get to know you!

Hungry Kids

2008-02-16T11:32:00.005-05:00

I woke up today hungry. Ever have one of those days? Nah...didn't think so..........right. Thinking about all of you, from up north, that are house (kitchen) bound by cold weather, I thought this would be a wonder recipe to share with you. Living in south Florida, naturally I am 'not' house bound, however, if you like a good hearty meal to share with your family, I know you will like this one! You see, I discovered this FABULOUS site called Dine Without Whine. It is a service provided by a Stay At Home Mom where she emails you a full weeks dinner menus and a shopping list catagorized by isle! Well, this is one of her recipes and I absolutely LOVED it!
I found that by adding some sea salt with a 'few turns' of the salt mill added a lot to this dish.
Please let me know what you add to it to give it your 'favorite' flavor!!

Pot Roast & Veggies
serves 6
3 to 4 lbs beef chuck roast (pot roast)
4 potatos, chopped
6 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 (10 3/4 oz ) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (1 1/2oz) box dry onion soup mix
2 tablespoons water

1. Line a 13" X 9" baking dish with aluminum foil: place roast in dish.
Place vegetables around roast.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine mushroom soup and onion soup mix; pour over roast and sprinkle with water. Cover with an additional piece of aluminum foil.

3. Bake at 300 degrees for 4 hours.

Enjoy!

If you want to check out this wonderful site for yourself please check here;
Dine Without Whine - A Family Friendly Weekly Menu Planner

Accessories

2008-02-08T23:11:00.001-05:00

What is in a name anyway? I say potato, you say po-tah-to, and so on. This all came to mind when choosing a unique name for my company. I wanted something, well, different. Not run of the mill. Something to set my product off from the rest. After all...my product IS something special. Kidcessory was, of course, a combination of Kids Accessories.

If you look in the Thesaurus under 'Accessories' you get a myriad of variations, ie; accompaniments, accouterments, attachments, contraptions, contrivances, fittings, gadgets, gear, stuff, supply, tackle, things, tools, trappings, just to name a few. And how about my product? Hair ribbons, hair ties, pony-o's, hair accessories, pony tail holders. My gosh...the list seemed endless. Well, I came up with hair tutus. Original? No. However it did describe my 'very unique' product the best.
Haven is my maiden name. The definition for 'Haven' in the dictionary is; 1. a shelter serving as a place of safety or sanctuary.

So naturally Kidcessory Haven suited not only me and my products, but also my most valued asset, my clients.

Geisha

2008-02-07T05:11:00.000-05:00

Meet the models. To say the least, working from home has it's advantages. In addition to the usual reasons, like spending more time with your kids, I have found that you can actually make it a 'family' activity. I happened to be in the best place possible when I decided to start my home based business as both of my children were of the right age for my 'target' audience. It was a 'natural' decision then to use them as my models. Christian has always taken a natural interest in photography and could not only help out with 'positioning' the model but could also actually take the photos when I needed to take a mother-daughter shot, in addition to being a model. Bella, of course, just likes to play dress-up. I have heard that there are certain tax breaks one can take from using your kids as 'employees', although I haven't done any real research on this yet. For right now, I am just enjoying the closeness that our new found family 'activity' has allowed us. Who knows, maybe I can even get 'dad' into the 'picture'.

In the beginning

2008-02-04T20:28:00.000-05:00

I guess one should begin at the beginning. For me it started about a year ago. My life was an endless reel of car pools, soccer games, swimming lessons...well, you get the picture. But let me back up a little bit. After owning my own successful Interior Design business, I decided to 'settle' down and start thinking about having a child. One child was enough, I reasoned. If it was good enough for my mom and dad, one was good for me too. I had waited, like so many of us 'A types' do, until my early thirties before even TRYING to have kids. I mean, I didn't think I would ever have a problem with it, in fact my mother had me when she was FORTY, and let me tell you...back in 1965, that was no laughing matter! Well, after a few years and three early term miscarriages, needless to say I was devistated. So...off to the GYN I went and started all of the preliminary tests..fully committed to 'tow the line' until we got this 'thing' underway. I'll never forget having to tell my 'very' conservative husband that he had to go to a clinic 30 miles away to do 'that thing' in the cup! LOL!! He STILL hasn't gotten over it! Well, now it was a day before our long awaited Caribbean Cruise and here I was, getting a Hysterosalpingogram done...not too happy to say the least. Doc informed me that this will be his last test with me. If everything is normal, then I will be 'referrered' to a 'specialist' (with more unpleasantries, I was sure). Well to make an already long post, not as long, we returned after the seven day stint...sunburned, fat...and pregnant!

Fast forward six years later and not one but two of the most beautiful children one could ask for.

Now, my life was lived daily from the confines of my car, running from one mommy and me class to the next. A constant barrage of Music Together classes ('Hello! Everybody! So Glad to see you!)...to avoiding my sons Karate practice kicks. I was ripe for change.

One day while visiting the local craft store, I came across the discount ribbon display. All those wonderful colors and textures, grosgrains and organzas! It brought my creative self out of its long slumber. I purchased a WHOLE SHOPPING CART full of ribbons...not even realizing I had even done so until the woman behind me in line asked...'What are you going to do with all of those??!!' I looked at her sideways, then glanced down at my cart, shocked at what I had done. My lord...what WAS I going to do with all of those ribbons? How on earth was I going to explain to my husband that I just spent $200 on ribbons, when he works every waking hour of the day!!??? Well...I'll just make some hair bows for my daughter and me and then I'll just return the rest, I reasoned. Needless to say, THAT never happened! We had so many people asking where I bought my bows, I thought...geez, why don't I see if I can sell these? I worked all of the following summer on a website, and, well...as they say, 'the rest is history'.